Djénéba

Mrs. Djénéba S., 60, lives with her husband and her six children in the Pelengana Sébénikoro neighborhood of the town of Ségou (fourth administrative region of the Republic of Mali).

Having not been able to attend school for family reasons, she began early on to earn her living helping her mother. She chose to roast peanuts and sell millet, which she has been doing for 10 years now.

To roast the peanuts, she puts sand in a skillet and peanuts on the sand, then puts the skillet on the fire. With a ladle, she stirs continuously for a good many minutes, until she can tell that the heat of the sand has roasted the peanuts correctly.

Wishing to satisfy the needs of her ever-growing clientele, she turned to the micro-finance institution Soro Yiriwaso three years ago. After four group (solidarity) loans and two individual loans, all correctly reimbursed, she is now on her third individual loan.

This new loan will be used to buy 15 sacks of peanuts and 10 sacks of millet from the farmers in the villages around Ségou. Mrs. Djénéba S. makes her sales in the Château market in Ségou and in the various fairs (on Monday in Ségou and Thursday in Banankoro), retail and for cash or credit, to a clientele composed of men and women.

She expects to make a monthly profit of 37,500 F CFA, which will be used to make repayments on the loan and to cover certain family expenses. Her dream is to get together a trousseau for each of her children.

Additional Information

Important Information

Soro Yiriwaso is a microfinance institution that works primarily in rural and semi-urban areas of Mali to provide underprivileged communities with access to financial services.The organization facilitates access for disadvantaged clients, particularly women, to new resources and services, fostering solidarity and cooperation among its clients. Kiva lenders’ funds will enable Soro Yiriwaso to expand its outreach and target even more underserved Malians involved in business and agriculture.